Posts Tagged ‘launch’

Today at 1:28 EST at Cape Canaveral, MAVEN successfully launched, and it’s now on its way to Mars.

MAVEN is a NASA mission to study the upper atmosphere of Mars. Its name stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN. The “volatile” part refers to compounds like CO2 (carbon dioxide), N2 (nitrogen), and H2O (water). MAVEN plans to gather clues about how those were lost over time. Once the MAVEN spacecraft reaches Mars, it will orbit the planet and use many different sensors to learn more about its atmosphere, and how it interacts with the sun and solar wind.

It’s been over eight years now since the last Mars rover launch, Opportunity’s in 2003. Now, Curiosity will set off on a mission to determine if life could have ever arisen on Mars, characterize the climate of Mars, characterize the geology of Mars, and prepare for human exploration. Those are the four main goals, but this newest and largest rover has eight more specific scientific objectives. There’s a lot in store for the MSL!

JPL cleanroom where Curiosity was built. Image credit Zoe Bentley.

Curiosity’s equipment ROCKS! It’s taking a drill, several cameras for steering and gathering data, a robotic arm, and even a tool called SAM with a laser in it which vaporizes rocks. No, I’m not kidding. The MSL is also powered by plutonium. This means dust buildups won’t keep Curiosity from getting the energy to explore. Even the way it lands is pretty cool. I can’t wait until Curiosity reaches Gale Crater in August next year.

Curiosity is scheduled to launch today at 10:02 EST from Cape Canaveral on board an Atlas V rocket. I can’t wait for this ROCKIN’ rover to get on its way!